Ruger 556 vs Smith M&P sport ll

id do the ruger, but don't dismiss psa and bca.

I haven't regretted a single Ruger that I have purchased.
However, I built my last AR from the cheapest parts I could buy (at the time it was Anderson), and it has been accurate and reliable also.

troy fairweather said:

id do the ruger, but don't dismiss psa and bca.

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My low buck gun was a PSA lower and upper. It’s definitely better than what it cost would imply.

I had the pleasure of using the S&W M&Ps at a training class and the fit and finish are nicer than the PSA. But both shot nice.

I haven’t used or played with the Ruger. If it wasn’t my money I’d get the M&P, but I suspect the Ruger is a good gun as anyone making junk is going to be out of business in no time as the market is so competitive now.

Take any basic carbine from any reputable manufacturer. Now, put on a blindfold. Shoot them. You wont be able to tell them apart. Buy whatever rollmark that satisfies your craving. Basic AR's are like pugs, they're all the same animal.

Of the 2, I would choose based on the most important of 2 criteria: 1- what do you like more, 2- which is the cheapest OTD. They are both good.

I'd look around online and get whichever is cheapest. You can probably find a better price than what Bud's has them for with just a little effort. I have the M&P Sport I and it's a good gun, I've handled and shot my brother's Ruger AR556 and it's just as good of a gun from what I can tell.

Ruger.

Went through the same decision process lately. I went with the Ruger 8515 and I am very pleased with the carbine. One of my major deciding points besides the quality of my other Ruger firearms,is my experience with Ruger customer service,which is outstanding

About the only salient difference is that the S&W has a nitrided barrel, while the Ruger has what amounts to a free aftermarket pistol grip. The "guts" of those guns are of very similar quality, and honestly, I bet the half the parts are coming from the same manufacturers.

Can't go wrong either way, but this is more or less a coin toss.

I have been very pleased with my recent purchases from Palmetto State Armory. The offer a variety of rifles in the S&W Sport II/Ruger AR 556 price range, some with mid or rifle length gas systems, Mag-Pul furniture and others. You should at least take a look.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/ar-15/pa-15-rifles.html

You said you're going with the S&W - so the decision seems made. But I'll throw in my $.02 that I love my M&P Sport. It has worked flawlessly. It shoots very well. Using handloaded FMJs I can get just under 1 MOA off the bench. It's a blast plinking steel with it.

It sure sounds like you can't go wrong with the Ruger either. I'm not asserting the S&W is better than the Ruger. I'm simply reporting my S&W has been great and I've found no fault with it.

We have both and they are great rifles. Either rifle will serve you very well so it just comes down to which you really like the most. Our guns are used hard and both function flawlessly.

The Evangelist Cowboy said:

That link you sent does have AR with FDE colorations, I may have become smitten with that one...

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I like my S&W M&P-15 Sport, too. (Original model with 1 in 8" 5R barrel but no F/A or dust cover). The only thing I don't care for is its carbine length gas system. My other 3 AR's all have rifle length gas systems and are much more consistent at ejecting the cases behind the firing line.

I have the Ruger and the wife has the S&W. I think the Ruger is 1/7 twist and the S&W is 1/9.
Both shoot about the same.
The trigger on mine was not as good out of the box as hers.

I put a Velocity 3# trigger in mine and we're both happy.

The Ruger AR556 barrel has a 1:8 twist rate, as did the original M&P Sport. The M&P Sport II has a 1:9 twist barrel.

The only things I don’t like about the Ruger is the front sight and how it’s attached to the barrel, and the rear sight.
The front sight is made of thinner metal and is pinned in place at the top of the barrel. So you’re pretty much stuck with the Ruger front sight. The rear sight that Ruger sends with the gun is nice, but is not as good as the Magpul that comes on the S&W.
I do like the delta ring on the Ruger. It makes it much easier to remove the handguards.

By all accounts both are fine rifles. I already owned 3 AR's, several for years. A Rock River, Stag,and a PSA. I got the itch for something different and bought a Ruger MPR. I REALLY like it, better than the 2 older rifles. It's really not that much more than the others and I think the features well worth the extra cost.

https://ruger.com/products/ar556MPR/models.html

I picked up a Ruger MPR through Bud's a month or so ago. Finally had some warm weather last weekend to shoot it. Gun shot smooth AF, cycled perfectly. Only went through 2 1/2 boxes to sight in the irons and then the scope, then shot some for fun.

Is it worth it? I'd say so. Probably spent an additional $300 for the sling, two additional sling attachment points, two mbus sights, weaver scope mount, burris scope and three more magazines. I could have bought another bolt gun and outfitted it for much less, yet this is just something different for me and cheaper to shoot then my Garand.